Some Swedish lawmakers want to abolish the monarchy

Swedish media, Expressen and Nyheter 24, have reported that several top Swedish lawmakers want to abolish the monarchy and turn the castles into museums.

Politicians from the Centre Party, Social Democrats, Left Party, Green Party, and Liberal Party have filed a joint motion in the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag. The reason given by the members of these parties is that they want Sweden to be a country where success is “based on individual merit rather than on the privileges and kinship”, according to Expressen.

The motion was co-written by Yasmine Larsson, a Social Democrat, who thinks Sweden needs to “leave the Middle Ages”. She told Expressen, “It is obviously not compatible with democracy because the role of head of state is inherited within the same family. It is time that our head of state added in a democratic manner by competence and capability.” She believes the royal family serves no purpose, and their property can be used for other things – namely as museums. She stated that the castles would make “fantastic museums”.

The Swedish Royal Family is given roughly 130 million Swedish kroner (SEK) each year to operate. The Swedish Prime Minister, Stephen Löfvens reported that the Bernadotte’s would receive 136.996 million SEK for 2017, which is an increase of 4.336 million. By 2020, it is estimated that the family would cost the Swedish taxpayer close to 145 million SEK.

The current monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf has been on the throne since 15 September 1973. He’s married to German-born Queen Silvia, with whom he has three children: Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine. They have five grandchildren: Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar – the children of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel; Prince Alexander – the son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia; and Princess Leonore and Prince Nicolas – the children of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill. If Crown Princess Victoria ascends to the throne, she will be the first queen regnant since 1720 and of the Bernadotte dynasty.

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About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. Her love of royals began in middle school, and she's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites.